DeAnna Julie Dodson/Julianna Deering

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Do you love your temple?

With a lifelong history of body dysmorphic issues and disordered eating, I've long struggled to accept the concept that my body is the "temple of the Lord" as Paul writes:

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.1 Cor 3:16-17 NKJV

It's not because I don't believe "Jesus lives in my heart" or because I haven't experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It's because I don't like my body. Disliking my body makes it hard to treat it with honor and respect, in word and deed.

And yet, we're called to take good care of our "tents."

Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.1 Thess 4:4-5 MSG

Appreciate it? How do I do that?

How about the fact that it works well enough to allow me to be aware of and acknowledge His creation? How about the fact I can use my senses to experience and translate the goodness of God into words and actions for others to experience? How about the fact I have (I question this, on occasion) a brain that enables me to assimilate the Word of God and His love into tangible expression and experience? Yes, I can appreciate this body ... I can, and will, choose to be thankful for this tent.

Give dignity to it?

Dignity is the same thing as honor and respect, like that which you would show for a visiting "dignitary." See the connection? That's going to mean taking the best care of this body I can by offering it the best of the best, making sure it gets proper rest, food, activity, and isn't left out in the rain, so to speak. That (and this is the hard part) also means I need to speak well of this body instead of bad-mouthing its varied parts and pieces.

Many of you will be at church today. Hopefully, you wouldn't think of degrading the chairs/pews, or disparaging the decorations on the altar. Now, apply that to your own body... the one you live in. God loves it. So should we.

About the Author: Niki writes
fiction, nonfiction, blog posts, newspaper articles, grocery lists, and
Facebook status updates. She can be found at her own blog, In Truer Ink, in addition to posting here. She was a 2009 finalist in the Faith, Hope, and Love "Touched by Love" contest.

LOL, Deb! I'm repeating the "gray hair is a crown" verse a lot these days. And wondering why they all come in looking like something out of a Dr. Seuss illustration?Still trying to come up with scripture that will make me more appreciative of the fluffy parts...